When it comes to flooring for your Log Cabin Style Home, you really have lots of options. Interestingly, with a few distinct exceptions, flooring is not going to be one of those make or break areas for achieving that log cabin style feel that we are after.
You can make some choices that will definitely move you towards the feel that you are trying to achieve, as well as some that would definitely move you away from that point too. But realistically, within those boundaries, there is a lot of leeway and there are tons of options.
So lets's discuss the polar opposite ends of the spectrum first and then get back into all of the good stuff in the middle!
Definite Log Cabin Style Flooring Options
Probably the one style of flooring that is going to actually have the power to convert the feel of your home to the Log Cabin Style is either hand scraped or rough-sawn wood flooring or one of the newer laminate flooring versions of this.
These styles of flooring have become very popular in the last several years and they really do radically change the look of any room that they are installed in.
Pros And Cons
Here are some of the pros and cons of each type of flooring as we see it, judging from our past experience.
Real wood flooring. With real wood flooring you get the pros of having 100% natural grain and color patterns that are unique to each individual piece of wood. This is probably the number one reason for making this choice that we can think of, its natural beauty.
Having lived with some real hardwood floors, here are a couple of minor drawbacks to consider. The first one being that as far as we have been able to tell, there is no such thing as a bullet-proof permanent finish for real hardwood floors. There are many that purport to be that way, but in practice, you are going to have to refinish those floors every so many years to retain their beauty.
Another con that we have experienced, is that like all natural wood products, hardwood flooring, especially if left unstained and just finished with a clear coat, tends to have the color variations fade out of it and begin to turn some shade of yellow over the years. This is a naturally occurring phenomena that just happens with wood. It is actually a decaying process, although it isn't going to effect the structural integrity at all. It is simply an appearance issue.
While staining the wood tends to slow this process somewhat and hides the fact that it is happening, the reality is that your beautiful wood floor is still gradually changing colors from what you originally had installed. It's not a horrible thing, but it will happen to some degree or another over time.
Be aware that there are several factors that contribute to this process. The type of finish that is installed on the wood, the volume of foot traffic and whether that traffic is sock traffic or shoes with lots of dirt and mud from the outside, but most especially the amount of exposure to sunlight and its UV rays. All of these things conspire together to fade and yellow your wood and cause the finish to break down and allow further deterioration of the wood itself. All of this requires the need for periodic maintenance which consists, at a bare minimum of applying another coat of finish. But more likely will necessitate the need for the floor to be sanded down to bare wood and refinished. Both of these are time consuming and somewhat messy processes.
With all of that being said, would we avoid natural hardwood flooring? Nope, not if it was what we really wanted. You just need to be aware that these conditions exist and be prepared to deal with and accept them.
Laminate Style Wood Flooring. Interestingly, this type of flooring can range all the way from the cheap stuff which looks very artificial even to the point of looking like plastic, all the way up the scale to pieces that look so convincing that you cannot tell that they are not real wood. Some of them may actually have a real wood veneer finish on them.
Some of the real pros to this type of flooring are that it is relatively easy to install and involves much less mess than true hardwood flooring. There are no sanding and finishing processes involved here.
To us, the most important pro is that the technology has evolved so far with these products that the finishes that they are putting on them now are nearly bullet-proof. It is still possible to scratch it if you mess up bad enough, but in normal usage, the finish is incredibly durable. Literally, by the time it wears out, if it ever does, you will be more than ready to replace it with the next generation of flooring that becomes available.
One con that we have noticed with laminate flooring that would also apply to natural hardwood flooring is this. When they are finished with a darker stain, they are very prone to showing every little bit of dust and debris. You will find yourself sweeping them at least every day or so if you enjoy living in a clean house. In fact, you will probably need to use a damp mop or a Swiffer or some such tool to actually grab all of the dust. Not a huge deal, but definitely something to be aware of!
However, when they are clean, they are stunningly beautiful!
Our recommendations here, for both laminate and hardwood, are to be prepared to spend some extra money to get the good stuff and the best finishes that you can. With laminate, they are beginning to make water proof versions of it. This is an option that we highly recommend looking in to. The number one cause of damage to both laminate and hardwood flooring is water.
Buy the waterproof stuff if you can. Put the best finish you can get on hardwood. And our recommendation is to definitely not use either one in bathrooms and think long and hard before putting it in a kitchen.
With all of that being said, these are the main flooring options that have the power, all by themselves to add a Log Cabin Style Feel to any home.
Two Other Options
There are at least two other very good options to get that Log Cabin Style Rustic Flooring Feel in your home.
Tile
First would be the proliferation of ceramic and porcelain tiles being produced today in wood grained patterns. These are a real quality flooring option and are a great alternative to laminate or hardwood in water prone areas like bathrooms. The range of color and grain patterns are rapidly expanding and most of them tend to be in the more rustic color spectrum. Plus they should, theoretically at least, last forever. Definitely worth considering.
Rustic Vinyls
Another option that we have used extensively in our Log Cabin Style Homes is a newer vinyl flooring product that is manufactured with a soft cushioned backing on it up to a quarter of an inch thick. This comes in many different patterns like most vinyl, but there are some excellent patterns that have the appearance of real wood flooring. The execution is so realistic, that almost everyone who sees it thinks that it is real hardwood until you convince them to bend down and touch it with their hands.
We have used this extensively in kitchens, bathrooms, laundries, entries, dining rooms and even living rooms. It is designed to be either glued down or simply laid without glue, allowing the trim to hold it down around the edges. Our preference is to glue it down. It actually works better that way. Just be aware that it requires its own special type of glue.
Carpet
While good carpet is one of our favorite flooring options in a Log Cabin Style Home because of the comfort factor, it really doesn't have the ability to convert the feel of a room all by itself. Although if your room was previously decorated with a bright lime green carpet, just changing to a neutral tan and brown color would be a step in the right direction!
While we have not seen any carpets with rustic, outdoorsy types of patterns, they may exist. Mostly here you are looking for a color that compliments the rest of your cabin style decorating ideas.
Area Rugs And Throw Rugs
Area rugs and throw rugs definitely do come with lots of options for rustic and outdoorsy patterns woven into them. They are a great decorating option all on their own and especially add a comfort factor to hardwood, laminate, tile or vinyl floors.
There are two potential cons here. Beware of tripping hazards and be aware that area rugs and throw rugs tend to move around a lot. Even though yours may not be prone to actually sliding across the floor when stepped on, be aware that almost all of them "creep" across the floor when subjected to any amount of traffic. There are things that you can do to reduce this tendency, but it does happen and can sometimes become annoying.
Now For The "Don'ts" Of Log Cabin Style Flooring
We probably don't need to go into a lot of detail here because this side of the discussion gets really subjective. However, here are some of our personal thoughts about things that take away from the Log Cabin Style Feel of your home in the flooring department.
Many people today are using lots of laminate style wood flooring in their homes because it is easy to install for the DIY'er. It is also easier to maintain and tends to last longer than carpet. However, after living with any type of solid flooring (wood, laminate, tile, or vinyl) you may come to miss one very significant feature unique to carpet. That is the comfort factor. No question about it, nice carpet is way more comfortable in a wider variety of situations than any of the other options.
While your beautiful solid surface floors make always look sharp, you may tire of walking around barefoot on them or crawling around playing with your children or grandchildren. Just a thought that needs to be considered.
Most of the things that we have seen over the years that take away some of the ambiance of a cabin style home will actually fall into one of two categories. They will be either a color problem or a pattern problem. Whether you are using hardwood, laminate, carpet, tile, or vinyl, most often you can miss the mark just by choosing the wrong color or pattern.
In fact to put it into one basic sentence, when choosing your flooring for your Log Cabin Style Home, stick with neutral colors, no patterns and the most rustic options that you can find. It's pretty much that simple.
Bright colors, heavy patterns and plain looking pieces of wood, tend to lead the feel of your room away from the rustic, woodsy feel of a true log cabin.
With all of that being said, we have seen people get away with some seemingly hideous combinations in a true log cabin, because there, it is the logs themselves that provide the ambiance rather than the decorations.
Remember, if you are trying to change the feel of your conventional home, the decor becomes much more of a factor.
As an example, one of the places where we've seen these attempts fall flat is the choice of colors and patterns when choosing a wood patterned laminate flooring. Your first thought might be that any wood looking flooring will be a great step in the right direction. However, if your choice is a very "plain" looking wood grain pattern, say for instance a maple pattern with a natural finish and almost no grain patterns or color variations, it will completely miss the mark of achieving a Log Cabin Style Feel in your room.
However for exactly the same amount of money and time investment, you could have chosen a pattern that was much more rustic looking with lots of variations in the grain pattern, the presence of lots of knots and "defects", and maybe a darker color. This addition in and of itself could actually transform the feel of your room.
When choosing tile, look for natural stone colors and patterns and avoid decorative patterns that are common in conventional homes.
With vinyl flooring, the same basic rules apply, avoid patterns for the most part. Look for natural stone or wood colors and trim it with natural colors rather than brass or chrome.
If your choice is carpet, avoid patterns, choose natural neutral colors, and our number one suggestion is to choose a swatch that has lots of flecks of different but related colors. These tend to hide dirt and things very well making them much easier to keep looking nice.
A final "don't" here. If you are thinking about tile, be aware of one important factor. Because tile and grout have absolutely zero flexibility, they need to be installed over a very solid base or you will develop cracks over time.
Be careful in older homes especially. While in newer homes the floor framing structure is usually designed to be sufficiently strong, in older homes it really isn't. Most older homes just have too much give in the floor structure to be a good base for tile, no matter how you tend to try to fix it. Even in newer homes, we would suggest not using tile over large areas such as an entire room. There may still be too much give in the structure. You are usually safe in a bathroom or kitchen sized area. The best subsurface for tile over a large area is properly installed concrete. Even then you may still have problems.
We are not trying to discourage the use of tile here. It's just that we have heard so many complaints over the years about cracked tile and it can all be traced back to being installed over an unstable base structure. Just be aware!
Our Conclusion
Just remember our one sentence recommendation when choosing your Log Cabin Style Flooring.
To put it into one basic sentence, when choosing your flooring for your Log Cabin Style Home, stick with neutral colors, no patterns and the most rustic options that you can find. It's pretty much that simple.